Bastids all a ya.....I've been reading this forum and many others about the Ural and hacks in general and my interest is growing.....fuck.....On my way home from work today I pulled into the new Ural dealer here in Kingston and was poking around a desert cam Gear up in the parking lot when the salesman asked if I wanted to take it for a spin, kinda slow, really wierd, wandered all over the place, but how cool......ya pricks....now I want one.....this wont end well.....

__________________
The conventional view serves to protect us from the painful job of thinking.

John Kenneth Galbraith

Don't worry my friend, raising your awareness of the world has no negative consequences.

Strikingviking

Survive and thrive. Live well, live in joy. God meant for his children to sing and dance every day!

This new bike you're about to buy , will provide the most fun you'll ever have with your pants on , no B.S. SWMBO , Kids & dogs will all love it too

I just ran the So. Cal. TT Ride (again) on my old 1994 Ural Tourist 650 Solo , as usual it wheezed & clattered it's way through 1,000 miles of mountains & 112° F deserts in two short days , mostly " On The Pin " the whole time....

Didn't even use any oil .

-Nate

Quote:

Originally Posted by TRKTEK

Bastids all a ya.....I've been reading this forum and many others about the Ural and hacks in general and my interest is growing.....fuck.....On my way home from work today I pulled into the new Ural dealer here in Kingston and was poking around a desert cam Gear up in the parking lot when the salesman asked if I wanted to take it for a spin, kinda slow, really wierd, wandered all over the place, but how cool......ya pricks....now I want one.....this wont end well.....

Yessir, that GU is off to a good start - environs to match the paint job, always a plus!

We haven't gotten any of the wee set in there yet. Some of our friends have kids, and one day they dropped by and there was suddenly a band of under-3 monkeys crawling all over the Patrol (it was in the garage at the time). They were having a blast. The oldest plopped right down in the saddle and I showed her how all the controls worked.

TRK - give in now. You're toast. Just write the check. And get ready for a heckuva fun time.

Rous44, your post struck a chord with me so I thought I would put in my $.02. Over the years I have looked at the Urals and been interested- but not willing to take the plunge. Whenever I would start to get serious, I would remember an article I read about the guy who bought a Ural and entered the Iron Butt rally. It was a horror story of mechanical failures, and he had to fabricate new pistons out of coffee cans to get home (or something).

Fast forward to a year ago when I ran into a guy at Burke's Garden (VA) on a Ural and he/it left a different impression. He led me to think that maybe these weren't junk, and that the improvements in recent years were real and substantial. The grin on his face was.

With renewed interest I started looking into them with more detail, there is a lot of good info on the web. What I came to believe before buying mine last fall was 1. they used to be junk and 2. they are no longer so. In my eyes they could were always a cross between a tank and a tractor, but now they were getting reliable enough to seriously consider.

I could have picked up a nicely used '06 for a great price, but I decided to step up for the latest improvements. It seems each year they make great strides with lots of enhancements, this website describes not only the changes for '07, but also attempts to describe *why* we are seeing so many enhancements per year. Here is one that compares '06 - '08 side by side, and you can find others.

It seems that the best improvements started in the mid '00s (maybe 2005) and have continued ever since.

You also asked questions about the "mission" of the rig, and to be honest I wasn't sure of that myself before taking the plunge. I anticipated it would would be fun to carry the dog around in, get groceries, wander the local fire roads and the blue ridge parkway. I wanted something different and was only hoping that it would live up to my expectations.

Unlike most of my preconcieved notions, I was more right than wrong. I was right in that it is perfect for all the above situations, I was wrong in how often I would be doing it. I look for excuses to load up the dog and roll, we ride daily.

Does the Ural replace any bikes? No and Yes. It still can't roost like my WR450 dual sport, or cover miles like the R11S... but I find myself picking the "50mph" destinations more and more. I probably pick the Ural 90% of the time.

I have read some people complaining that the top end speed of the bike is too low, that they have no choice but to use interstates to reach the "blue highways". Fortunately these blue roads are all around me and the bike is a great fit. Works for me, maybe not for you.

My current intentions are to wear this bike out and then buy another. If I felt compelled to thin the herd I would start elsewhere. I have had some break-in and warranty issues- nothing excessive- but I am glad to have the dealer I do. I ended up paying slightly more and travelling farther to deal with someone I trusted, and recommend this approach.

Welcome to the foil, please post proper photos when you get the rig dirty. Extra Adv-Rider points will be awarded for dents and scratches.

I did whack a semi in the lugnuts on the ferry a couple of months ago...
They parked the trucks so close together that the lane between them
was too narrow, and I didn't see that the truck's lugnuts stuck out farther
than his wheels & tires. Got a nice little dent in the sidecar fender.

I sprayed some "Italian Olive" colored krylon on it, and no one even
notices anymore.

Are you planning to do any rides near Port Orchard this summer
(Maybe Tahuya)? If so, email me. If I am in town, I probably will go along
if y'all will have me along.